Membership

In today’s market, it is imperative to be knowledgeable and have an edge over the competition. ACI members have it…they are engaged, informed, and stay up to date by taking advantage of benefits that ACI membership provides them.

ACI MEMBERSHIP

The American Concrete Institute

Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, the American Concrete Institute is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and materials, who share a commitment to pursuing the best use of concrete.

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Hot Weather Concreting—Methods for Success

As a global leader in advancing concrete knowledge, ACI’s goal is to keep concrete industry professionals up to date with the latest information.

For example, here’s a recent exchange from ACI’s Q&A section:

Q. “What are the ACI building code requirements for placing concrete in a tropical climate? Some people in our office say we should specify a maximum permissible concrete temperature of 90 ºF (32 ºC). Others say a temperature higher than 90 ºF (32 ºC) is allowable if the concrete contains a set-retarding admixture.”

Hot weather concreting is defined by ACI as “one or a combination of the following conditions that tends to impair the quality of freshly mixed or hardened concrete by accelerating the rate of moisture loss and rate of cement hydration, or otherwise causing detrimental results: high ambient temperature; high concrete temperature; low relative humidity; and high wind speed.”

Various adverse effects on the properties and serviceability of concrete are brought on by hot weather. Just one of those is the effect on strength—concrete mixed, placed, and cured at elevated temperatures normally develops higher early strengths than concrete produced and cured at lower temperatures.

Damage to concrete caused by hot weather can never be fully alleviated. Potential deficiencies to concrete in the hardened state can include decreased strengths resulting from higher water demand, and decreased durability resulting from cracking.

An upcoming May 9 webinar will cover best practices and examples from projects where pre-cooling measures, moisture controls, mixture adjustments, and admixture technologies have been implemented to reduce adverse effects to the concrete under hot, drying conditions. Add to your knowledge by signing up for: Hot Weather Concrete – Best Practices and Lessons Learned On-Demand Course.

ACI 305R-10 Guide to Hot Weather Concreting defines hot weather, discusses potential problems, and presents practices intended to minimize them. These practices include selecting materials and proportions, precooling ingredients, and batching. Other topics discussed include length of haul, consideration of concrete temperature as placed, facilities for handling concrete at the site, and, during the early curing period, placing and curing techniques, and appropriate testing and inspection procedures in hot weather conditions.

Hot weather concreting can be a challenge – to minimize the disadvantages, and make your next hot weather concreting project a success, use ACI’s resources, including ACI University online courses, free online education presentations, publications, and journal articles.

The ACI Excellence In Concrete Construction Awards

318-14 Portal

The American Concrete Institute's newest Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary has been completely reorganized and is now available. To aid in your transition to the 2014 edition of ACI 318, several resources are available in the online 318-14 Portal.